Self-opening bag.



H. G. WIDMER.

SELF OPENING BAG.

APPLICATION FILED 1112.14, 190s.

Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

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ed the entire width of the bag.

HOWARD G. WIDMER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

SELF-OPENING BAG.

Application filed February 14, 1906.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

Serial No. 300,993.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD Gr. IVIDMER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ofthe `borough of Brooklyn, in the county of `Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Opening Bags, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to improvements in paper bags.

The invention, broadly speaking, seeks by efficient and inexpensive means to facilitate the opening out of a bag from its flat or collapsed state and without necessitating the insertion of the hand into the bag.

The invention also seeks to accomplish the result stated with reference to paper bags of the simpler construction and also by means, which may be of a character capable of being `formed on or applied to the paper with convenience and at small cost.

At this time the paper bags in most general use are of the plain tucked variety consisting of a tube having infolded side tucks and a bottom formed by turning over one end, tucks and all, and pasting it down onto one of the sides ofthe bag. This turned over portion forms a folded bottom closure which extends transversely and substantially straight across the entire width of the bag. Of course, the corners of this fold might be clipped olf to facilitate pasting and still the closure would have a portion which extend- These plain tucked bags are sold, of course, in a flat or collapsed state. These bags are inexpensive, and are sold in large quantities for this reason. They have, however, certain serious defects. They cannot be properly opened out by an inrush of air, nor by the first entrance of the filling material. They there fore require to be opened out by inserting the hand and pressing` out the tucks at the bottom. This, of course, requires time and considerable care to avoid the formation of hap-hazard folds at the bottom corners, which are very objectionable. Furthermore these bags, when opened out or filled, do not have flat bottoms, the bottoms being more or less rounded. This is another defect. The desirability of overcoming these defects in a bag, has been long recognized and accordingly bags of various constructions have been proposed with this object in view. These proposed bags, however, could only be made at a very considerable increase in the cost of manufacture and are objectionable for this reason. Again, in the case of at least one variety of these proposed bags, the bag does not have a flat bottom and does not open out with the requisite promptness and reliability.

In accordance with the present invention a bag is provided in which the defects and objections stated are entirely overcome. The bags to which this invention applies are of this plain tucked Variety in which the unaltered tube or collapsed bag blank has its bottom margin folded over bodily upon itself and secured to a side face of the bag, usually by paste, and the tube is formed of one piece of material, the folded margin or bottom closure therefor extending' across the entire width of the bag. In this specification, the expression having infolded side tucks and a folded bottom closure extending substantially straight across the entire width of the bag delines the above described plain tucked bag to which this invention applies and the expression is intended to distinguish over the bag known to the trade as the automatic bag in which diamond folds are made in the bags and a ready made fiat bottom is formed and laid over on one side face of the bag, the bottom closure in this automatic bag being formed by a flap in the middle of this folded over, ready made bottom and not extending across the entire width of the bag. Said expression likewise distinguishes over the bag in which the plies of the tucks are infolded near the bottom of the blank and then the bottom margin folded over upon a side face of the bag to form a closure and lock the infolded plies in place. In this type of bag also the bottom closure does not extend across the entire width of the bag. In fact, the expression used is in tended exclusively to define the cheap, plain type of bag described.

\Vith this invention expensive folding of tuck plies and bag sides is not resorted to but simple means, which may be applied to a collapsed bag with convenience and despatch, is employed to aid the flexure of the bag material along the localities where l'lexure is required in opening out the bag, and in opening it out so as to form a flat bottom. Also these means for siding flexure may be, and preferably are, of such a character as to be negligible as regards increasing the cost CIT over the old plain tucked bags. Thus, the bags embodying the invention effect a great saving in cost as compared with those proposed heretofore for the same general purposes.

In the type of bag referred to above as the plain tucked bag the depth of the tucks determines points on the side edges of the bag, and these points, in turn, naturally determine the approximate corners of the bag bottom when the bag is opened out by inserting the hand and by simultaneously pushing up the bottom and smoothing out the sides and the tucks. These points, therefore, determine natural lines of flexure.

Tn carrying out the invention aV corrugation is specially formed in the collapsed bag through all its thicknesses and along its lines of fiexure. Thus, each thickness will have its own corrugation consisting of two contiguous creases or an alternate ridge and depression, the ridge on one face of a thickness constituting a depression on the opposite face of such thickness. It will, therefore, be seen that each thickness will have at least one crease whose concavity will face in the proper direction and such crease will, in consequence, aid such thickness to iex in the proper' direction notwithstanding the fact that various thicknesses must flex in opposite directions in opening out the bag. A preferred application of these contiguous creases or corrugation is along the transverse lines of iexure of the tucks or along the said lines and also along the transverse lines of flexure of the sides. These lines of flexure are to be determined as will be described.

Tt is to be understood that any or all of the various means for aiding iexure may be applied to any or all of the lines of flexure as described.

The preferred form of the invention is illustrated in the following drawings forming part of this specification, in which like numerals designate corresponding parts or localities and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a bag opened out and smoothed until the natural transverse lines of iiexure of the sides and of the tucks are determined. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the bag collapsed with parts broken away to show the tucks. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section along line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a bottom view of a bag opened out until its bottom is flat and with parts broken away to show the tucks. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig.v2 but of the other side of the bag. Fig. 6 is a vertical section along a line 6 6 of Fig. 1 but showing the bag provided with the invention and opened out until its bottom is approximately flat.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings :i1 and 2 designate the sides of the bag, 3, 4, and 5, G the folds of the tucks 7 the tucks 7 and 8 respectively, where they lioin the sides of the bag when it is collapsed. These lines also are the side edges of the bag when it is opened out. As the bag is opened out the bottom edge of the collapsed bag is drawn in toward the mouth of the bag and at the same time portions 17 and 18 of the sides 1 and 2 respectively, and each equal in width to the width of a tuck fold bend over at an angle to the sides and, when creased and smoothed, form a substantially fiat bottom. Thus when the bag is opened out each tuck fold measures off its own width or the depth of the tuck along each side edge of the bag from the bottom edge 15, and through the points 19, 20, 21 and 22, thus determined, the sides tend to flex as also do the tucks. lf this fiexure is aided there are formed definitely defined creases between these points along the lines 19-20, 21-22 symmetrically located and along the lines 15J-21, 20-22 also symmetrically located. These two sets of lines are termed the transverse lines of fiexure of the sides and of the tucks respectively. These lines are designated most clearly in Figs 1 and t, which also show the disposition of the bottom ends of the tricks when the bottom is flattened out.

In carrying out this invention the walls of the bag are provided with means for aiding fleXure localized along or approximately alongthe lines joining the points 19, 20, 21 and 22 or merely along the transverse lines of flexure of the tucks 19-20 and 21-22. The means illustrated is a plurality of contiguous creases which may be applied to the bag material in any convenient manner. Each crease may be intermittent if desired. TV hen both the sides and the tucks are to be provided with creases it is convenient to apply them to the completed bag but in its collapsed state. Since the sides 1 and 2 tend to bend inwardly as the bag is opened out, the creases, to aid this tlexure, should have their concavities face to face. The creases formed on the tucks should likewise be face to face when the bag is opened, but as each tuck is folded on itself along the lines 9 and 10 re-A spectively, when the bag is collapsed, it is necessary that the convexity of the crease on the fold 3 should lie face to face with the convexity of the same crease on the fold t. The same is true as regards folds 5 and 6. In applying the invention to a collapsed bag it is most convenient to produce these respective creases with their respective concavities on the proper face of the bag by forming one or more corrugations across the collapsed bag parallel with the bottom edge and approximately along' the lines 19-21 and 20-22 as illustrated in Figs 2, 3, 5 and 6 so as to crease the entire thickness of the collapsed bag. This can be accomplished by one operation by means of suitable dies.

Fig. 6 shows at 19H90 how the bag material selects in exing the crease Which aids it the most. Creasing of the tucks along their transverse lines of flexure is of great advantage to the proper opening out of a bag even when no other creases are formed and is considered to be Within the scope of this invention.

vThe formation of a bag easily provided with this invention is shown in the drawings.

23 shows the edge of the bag material that is folded over and pasted down to form the bottoni closure for the bag. However, in carrying out my invention, I do not limit myself to the precise type of bag illustrated, as various types are suitable. But

that I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. In paper bags, a bag comprising a vtube formed of one piece of material and having infolded side tucks and a folded bottom closure extending substantially straight across the entire Width of the bag; said bag being provided, along the transverse lines of flexure of the tucks, with a corrugation specially made to aid the proper opening out of the bag.

2. In paper bags, a bag comprising a tube formed of one piece of material and having infolded side tucks and a folded bottom closure extending substantially straight across the entire Width. of the bag; said bag being provided with a corrugation extending transversely approximately parallel With the bottom edge at a distance approximately equal to the depth of a tuck therefrom and involving all the thicknesses of the collapsed bag.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

HOVARD G. IVIDMER.

Witnesses IDA G. GILMORE, LEONARD DAY.

DISCLAIMER- 904,l6S.-[0wmd G. Widmer, Brooklyn, N. Y.

dated November 17, 1908.

SELF-OPEING BAG. Patent Disclaimer' filed January 21, 1910, by the assignee,

Oovztz'nenml Paper Bag Company. l

Enters this disclaimer of claim 1 of said Letters Patent, which claim is in the following` Words, to Wit:

1. In paper bags., a bag comprising a. tube formed of one piece of material and having infolded side tucks and a folded bottom closure extending substantially straight across the entire width of the bag; said bag being provided, along the transverse lines of exure of the tucks, with a oorrugation specially made to aid the proper opening out of the bag.-[ Qcial Gazette, February 1, 1910.] 

